Sonoma Storynight at the YMCA, last night!

Well, last night was the weekly Sonoma Storytelling night at the YMCA... Several people stood up and shared a tale regarding their adventures about the lands while the rest, who showed up at the event, watched on in support for the opportunity to grow as a community.... The first person who spoke was named Casey and this is what her story was about as the crowd grew anxious...

Casey: When I awoke in Britannia, I knew I needed to get to Serpent's Hold. All my sisters did too. It was an urge that we could not resist. We all would use our precious 100 gold to buy a world map. We always woke up in Britain and headed down the coast south. In those days, you could not dry dock a boat.

Casey: So, the coast line was plugged with them solid. Also, pirates plyed the waters and the theft of boats was common. Sooner or later one would find a leaky old boat somewhere along the coast line. Then it was a matter of getting on and sailing for Serps hoping that the boat would last until you got there.

Casey: Once at Serps there was much to do. We had a room at the inn and placed things for each other in the chest there. Since Mom and Pop ran things, there was a chest we could actually use. Not many came to Serps so we pretty much had the run of the island.

Casey: Jo was my sister who was something of a scamp. *deep sigh* She had natural musical talent but would get bored with playing for the woodland critters. She found out that she could get the other shopkeepers so angry with each other that they would fight. After one had killed the other, she would pick from the things they had.

Casey: She also liked to provoke the beggars that always followed us around but I did not think that that was so bad. *blushes* She did make some cash that way I admit. But she also got a terrible reputation. It got so bad that she was a Dark Lady. Mom cried a lot over that. She gave lots of gold to beggars too to try to fix her reputation. But nothing worked for long.

Casey: One day she was in the tinker shop doing her thing. She carefully concentrated on the one tinker when a guard teleported into the shop and... SHE HIT THE GUARD. "You will pay for your sins!", he shouted as he whacked her. She woke up and ran for the healers. This was a path she knew full well. However, the healers ignored her.

Casey: She ran to the inn and looked in the mirror. She was red... She was dread... *dramatic pause* Red and dread and dead and on SERPENT'S HOLD. ..... No one would rez her. No one would gate her to the mainland. Some laughed at her. I cried a lot.

Casey: Finally after haunting the Hold for weeks her spirit drifted and she fled the wonderful world of Britannia. I visit her grave when I am in Fellucca. I often leave flowers there.

Claps and applauds could be heard throughout the room as Casey ended her tale. Shortly thereafter, Morrolan happened by and was standing in the middle of the stage, un-be-knownst to him as to what was taking place... So, I asked him a question...

Vladimir Taltos: Since ye are standing Morr... Tell us a story! *smirks*
Morrolan: Once upon a time... The End
Dor: BOO!!
Vladimir Taltos: *blinks*
Dor: *demands money back*
Morrolan: No refunds

Morrolan's story was more like a brief intermission without the mission, but he was heckled for his efforts... Neutral Galad took his share of the spotlight and made a grand announcement about his looter website.... again.... And then Cleopatra took the stage and began to speak:

Cleopatra: I guess no one wants to hear my Doom story ? *tries to resist to burn undead thingies...* Well, it is quite short... Well, this week, I continued to hunt in Doom. As always, ressurecting, and helping people.... And helping myself too... *coughs* You can loot thieves in Malas... So, it is not hard to run around and see an artifact on the ground.... Anyway, this time I decided to go to level 2.

Cleopatra: Well, as a sort of a newbie in Doom I asked someone, very....helpful... Of how to get on the other side... He said....ring the bell....on the beach.... So, I went to the beach, happily Since I wasn't expecting to be THAT easy... Rang the bell, and got greeted by a ferrymen.... He says that only deads can pass.... Well, I thought it was a puzzle...or something...

Cleopatra: So, I turned my back.... And wanting to start to seek for clues... But it seems the ferryman didn't like me turning my back to him... He said something like: Haha! Oh wait... And a Skeletal Dragon falls from the sky to my head... I didn't even know how much damage I took... I just fell...

Cleopatra: Oh well, dieing in that dungeon became something normal to me... So I like that dungeon... But as you all know I won't give up so easily... I got myself, resurrected... Got the loot back. And asked for another kind player.... He laughed at first... And he said that I needed a gold skull from the Bone Daemon And for that, I need to do a quest, from a sorcerer... I said, okay, found the sorcerer... And it seems I needed one thousand daemon bones For that... oh, no problem... Since I got a good stock in my house.

Cleopatra: I went there... Gave the bones... Well, the bone daemon spawned a bit east of the sorcerer But I managed to find it... As a mage, I used to throw an explosion first and following by an eb... That thing took almost no damage from it... Very well, I thought, I'll just EV that thing... That daemon doesn't even need to dispel my EVs... In 3 hits, it killed my EV... So, heh, even the best fighter needs to know when to run... I invisied myself...

Cleopatra: And watching that bone daemon smashing everything/everyone walking near him... I must say it was quite a sight... Until a guild appeared... Asking who summong that lovely thingy... I went from invisible state to normal... And said it was me... And they offered for help... Oh well, I really didn't want that. Since I wanted to do it, all by myself... But it seems, it will be qutie hard. I said, sure!

Cleopatra: With the help of a guild. We fought the daemon for 10 mins And we managed to kill it. So, I got the skull And went to kill the Skeletal dragon Summong the ferryman Gave him the skull... Our party got teleported to the boat and then... To the other side... To the Gauntlet Room... The guildmaster warned us That there have 6 Champions And every of them are very hard to be defeated... And he said that, we should be ready to die just from seeing it... Well, just like an adult trying to scare a kid with ghost stories... Well, so we blessed ourselves Made sure we were ready... to face our death...

Cleopatra: We walked IN ! in group! Everyone watching every corner Getting ready for dark thingies to attack us! AND! We found an empty room... We had been there like a hour walking every inch of that gauntlet Looking for clues But it seems, it is broken... Oh well... I managed to trap their whole guild In a room *coughs*

Cleopatra: Hey, I said, don't walk on the teleporters! They look evil! But the side-effect was... Geez, nothing will happen, it is broken... well, I didn't dare to use it... But the guild was courageous enough And got teleported to a room with locked doors And in the other side of the dungeon You can't recall... Or do anything... You just can leave by dieing...

Cleopatra: So, yes.. I heard them screaming Killing themselves just to leave that room But, after they are all read... Huh, I remembered them they could use the Stuck option *coughs* It was a bit too late... So, in the end We got 6 corpses on the locked room and 6 dead robe guy on the other side and a green lucky mage And so...we all left with stuck options But they seems not too happy Well, the guildmaster says that were ready for dieing ! The end!

Once Cleo had finished, and her cheers were heard, Dor decided to share with those in the house a little story about her first death...

Dor: *squints* Dor Don't Do Dungeons *grins* they are and icky *laughs and tries to think* ahh...which one? Gads!
Bella Noir: Do ye remember the first time ye died?

Dor: It took some time, to get me as I was a very cagey (paranoid) sort Okay, cowardly... Twas by HORDES and HORDES and more HORDES. My first visit to a dungeon...at another's insistance It was... the one near Britain..the "easy" one? Despise? I was some few months old, a Ranger, Rather strong, I felt.

Dor: So I allowed myself to be *dragged* digging in my heels all the way, to that danged ...place It was ghastly I remember, when we entered and I rounded a corner.... I was greeted by the most ghastly sight I'd yet seen Some, drooling, gibbering, naked thing....with no HEAD! I just about died of fright but defended myself *shudders*

Dor: and then I found that somehow (I suppose in a fold of skin....*twitches*) he was carrying gold and a torch!
Vladimir Taltos: Twas no fold of skin... *shudders*
Dor: Another came upon me... I grew bold... ewww...
Bella Noir: No wonder they only carry 10 gold!

Dor: I waxed the second! Bring it! My..."friend" seeing that I was holding my own went on ahead to scout for me. I got bored, waiting so wandered a bit further inside leaving breadcrumbs as a trail so I could, BOLT back, if needs be... I came upon a Giant Serpent! ohh...my cuppa tea.. I dispatched him handily (as they DID NOT POISON THEN) *sighs nostalgically* I was on a roll, This dungeon stuff wasn't so hard...

Dor: I went further in rounded a couple more bends on a...sloping path? hrmmm Alright, maybe this wasn't such a great idea.... I noticed my breadcrumbs had disappeared... oops, umm.... which way was out? *laughs* While I was debating a couple of nasty rats ran up *rolls eyes* I had to kill them, to get past... while I was doing that, two giant serpents arrived and then, more headless guys and about 12 billion more rats and some....no, Sword, my man... Sword!

Dor: I tried to heal, but I could not see my own form beneath the crowd I tried to run but they had trapped me, and i could not move ... I sank beneath the wave of varmints like a stone.... but anyway, suferring my very first death I was...appalled I had no idea what to do and then, my "friend" came back up around the bend at the same time as the most infamous murderer in the land, at that time umm... My "friend" paid him no mind, as he moved to loot my corpse, but just stood in shock and said..... "Mom!! I am SO sorry!!!"

Dor: Upon hearing that, Mr. Famous PKer paused and thought, and smiled, and said... I was gonna kill and loot you too, but damn Now I have to help you, for that *laughs* He cast a gate to his place in Britain and resurrected me gave my many things and just shook his head.... *laughs* Thereafter I had free passage in the dungeons...like I wanted it.... *grins* Anyhow, My First Death I hadn't thought about that in years

After Dor had completed her spinning of the yarn, she convinced Bella Noir to give the speaking a try.... Which Bella eventually did...

Dor: Bella, have you any tales?
Bella Noir: Well...
Dor: *smiles*
Bella Noir: *looks nervous*
Dor: No need, we are extremely casual here
Bella Noir: I could share my first taste of death and dancing with bears
Dor: ahhh! Sounds promising
Bella Noir: if you don't my stuttering a bit
Dor: *grins*
Bella Noir: I do that around strangers... Ok I'll try
Dor: *grins*
Bella Noir: but "bear" with me *wry grin*
Dor: Of course!

Bella Noir: *waves at the crowd* Back when I was first let out of the house by my mother and roaming with my love in the woods as he desperately tried ot teach a city girl how to brawl beasts and not bar louts, I was first taught how to really piss off cows and goats. I would go home with bruises... THe looks my mother would give me, covered in blood and wool... Well, you know how it is.

Bella Noir: And so I wanted something bigger.. You see my hunny he was a cautious sort and would fret like my mother over me and being onery and rebelious i had to ignore his warnings *chuckles*

Bella Noir: So we are croissing a Britain field and i spy with my little eye this golden bear. WEll I'd taken on the black ones and we all know the blacker the more evil right? *wry grin* Before he can stop me I'm after it swinging my war hammer Now not many animals go from your waist to above your head in 2 mins flat I about peed my leathers And thus the chase began.

Bella Noir: That bear, gave me a solid swat upside my head and I saw so many colors I stood a moment in awe and then my feet regained senses before my mind I start runing, hollering... trying to slap bandages on and dropping them all over the field And my hunny! Does he help? Nooo... He's too busy laughing at me running and cursing Like someone lit my own tail on fire... Oh I deserved it

Bella Noir: he kept tellin me I'd bite of more than I could chew And i bit a big ol hube of bear whoopass on myself... I finally FINALLY get the bleeding on my right arm to stop and get my swing in right And soon we're both bleeding all over some farmers field And i get cocky again, And try to keep driving my war axe between his ribs.

Bella Noir: And then... the war axe got stuck, Very oops, He's gettin madder and slapping my head back and forth and finally I pass out. I was staring down at myself so mad And so I ran off to find a healer and I raced back, I grabbed things quick as i could, but I'm winding myself in bandages and taunting him as he lumbered across the field... Finally i get dressed and went after him again... This time however I went simple just split his skull and did a little war dance around him.

Bella Noir: My hunny thought that was even funnier than Me yelling like some savage child. I was so proud *grins* But that was my first taste of death... thank you for listening... thank ye.

After Bella took her seat, Clog'Oguk quickly ran up the stage and gave his best attempts at sharing his orc humor...

Clog'Oguk: two women were discussing an upcoming social. one said the women were supposed to wear a dress to match their dates hair... so she would be wearing black... the other woman thot for a second... hmm... my husband is bald... so perhaps i best not go.... *rim shot*

When no one got the joke, well some folks did... Dor decided to announce the winner as follows:

Vladimir Taltos: Who is the winner Dor?
Dor: Oh! well, Not Cleo, cause she left and not me, due to conflict of interest... so...we have to decide between casey and Bella? maybe both!
Casey: Bella ... Bella
Dor: a reward for your contributiions *hands Bella the first place prize*

The winner was chosen, and it was Bella Noir who won, and she was given her prize money for her efforts. To be honest I hadn't been to Storynight in quite some time, but I can still see that people are enjoying themselves while attending this event. I would encourage all of you to try and make a point to see what the Sotrynight at the YMCA is all about... Generally the event takes place every Friday at 7:30 pm PST... Hope to see you there and try the veal... Did I mention free alcohol?

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